She glanced at the clock. Not quite four. Maybe she’d give Todd a call before his evening run got too busy. A loop of excitement knotted her stomach as she punched in his number.
He picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Carla. How are you?”
Her eyes filled with tears at the sound of his voice. She blinked them back.
“I’m okay, I guess.” She sniffled.
“You guess?”
“Yeah, I’m all right. I drove by the Broadmoor Hotel where I’ll be meeting my cousins. Almost passed out at how fancy it is. I guess I’d forgotten.”
His chuckle made her want to reach through the phone and hug him.
“Nothing’s too fancy for you, Carla. You deserve the best.”
She sighed. “There are a few people here who don’t think as highly of me as you do, Todd.”
“What do you mean?” Tension filled his voice.
“Oh, just silly stuff.” She told him about Cassie’s attitude. “It’s just the usual stuff. Happens a lot around competitive skaters.”
“I miss you.” The sudden huskiness of his tone clutched at her heart.
“I miss you, too.” She bit her lip. “I have to go, Todd. I’m starving. I think I’ll grab something to eat and go to bed early.”
“All right. Get some rest. Will you call me tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I sure will. Good night.” She sighed as she sank bank onto the pillows. How could she make a decision when she was so torn? The possibility of fulfilling her Olympic dream caused a thrill of excitement to run through her. But then, why the stab of pain at the thought of leaving Todd?
Todd stared at the phone. He took a deep breath and crammed it into his shirt pocket. There was something going on she wasn’t telling him. He wasn’t sure how he knew. Maybe a slight hesitancy in her voice. But something.
He shook his head and went back to chopping onions. She’d tell him when she was ready. In the meantime, he’d pray for her and try not to worry.
The kitchen phone rang and Alan, his fry cook and Hannah’s husband, grabbed it. He glanced at Todd. “Do you have time to talk to Mr. Harrington?”
Todd wiped his hands on a towel and caught the phone when Alan tossed it to him. “This is Todd.”
“Todd, Jacob Harrington here. I was wondering if you’ve thought more about my offer.”
“Still thinking, Mr. Harrington,” Todd said. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Hmm. That surprises me. I would think you’d jump at the chance to be the owner of a nice uptown restaurant.” He paused then went on. “You know, my grandfather had a restaurant when I was a boy, and I’ve always wanted to own one. I’d like to give you this opportunity, because I’ve heard a lot of good things about your food and your management skills. And of course, you’re a friend of Julie’s. But I do have a couple of other small café owners in mind, and I’d like to get this deal moving soon.”
Even though he was tempted to tell the man to go ahead and find someone else, Todd took a deep breath and said, “I’ll have an answer for you soon.”
“Good. Glad to hear it. Perhaps we can discuss it at Julie’s dinner party. See you then.”
Before Todd could say he wasn’t sure he was going to the party, Harrington hung up.
Todd washed his hands and went back to his preparations for the dinner run. As much as he liked the thought of expanding the diner, did he really want to sign a deal with someone he didn’t know very well? He probably needed to find a good business attorney before he even gave it more thought.
“Hey, Todd. Why so glum?” Alan threw a towel his way, and he caught it and tossed it in the laundry cart.
Hannah stepped out of the cooler with a bowl of lemons. “He misses Carla. That’s what’s wrong.”
Todd gave her a grin but didn’t deny it.
“Why don’t you drop by our place when we close up tonight?” Alan said. “I got some guys coming over for cards. No money involved. Just fun.”
“Maybe I will. I need to have some fun.”
“Yes, sir.” Hannah grabbed a lemon and placed it on a clean cutting board. “And it’ll get your mind off our Carla. You know you don’t need to worry about her. She’s got her feet on the ground. I don’t believe she’s going to go and do something stupid, like getting involved in figure skating again.”
“It’s not stupid to her, Hannah. I guess she was pretty good when she was a kid.”
“And that’s the key word. Kid. She’s twenty-four years old. That wouldn’t be so bad if she’d been able to stay with it all these years. But to start out again at twenty-four? How long could she stay with it?”
“Well, it’s her decision.”
“I know, I know. Sorry. But I still think Carla’s got better sense than that.” She scraped the lemon slices into a bowl. “Anyway.” She turned and looked him straight in the eye. “That girl loves you, whether she knows it yet or not, and before another week is over, she’s going to miss you too much to stay away.”
Todd grinned. “I sincerely hope your prophetic gifts are working tonight, Hannah.”
She laughed. “They are. They are.”
After the dinner run, Todd took care of the register while Hannah and one of the fill-in waitresses cleaned the front. He helped Alan finish the kitchen cleanup, and then they all walked out the front door together.
“Whew. I’m glad this one is over.” Hannah grabbed Alan’s arm.
“It was a busy night all right.” Todd glanced at the car pulling up to the curb and groaned. Julie. “You two go on. I’ll be right behind you.”
Hannah frowned in Julie’s direction. “You sure you don’t want us to stay?”
Todd laughed. “I think I can handle her, Hannah. But thanks.”
He walked over to Julie’s car and around to her opened window.
She pursed her lips in a coy smile. “Hi, Todd.”
“Julie. Did you need to see me about something?”
“Yes, I want to invite you over to Daddy’s for cocktails.” She flashed another smile.
He frowned. “You know I don’t drink.”
“Oh, I forgot. Well, then, you can have coffee or something.”
“Thanks for the invitation, Julie, but I have plans for the evening.”
“Oh. Well, it was actually Daddy who wanted me to invite you.” She wrinkled her nose in a way he supposed she thought was cute. “I sort of invited myself along as well.”
“I see. Well, tell your father I appreciate the invitation, but as I said, I have other plans.”
She frowned. “Oh, all right. What he really wanted me to tell you is that he has important information for you about the restaurant plans.”
He eyed her for a moment. Was she telling the truth? Or was this another ploy?
“He said it really is important for him to see you.”
Chapter 6
Hope you don’t mind shooting pool while we talk. It relaxes me.” Harrington racked the balls then straightened and glanced at Todd. “Want to break?”
Todd shook his head. “To be honest, Mr. Harrington, I’d as soon get on with our business so I can leave. I had plans for the evening and friends are waiting for me.”
Harrington frowned. “I see. It was my understanding that you and my daughter were spending the evening together. She suggested bringing you here so we could discuss business.” A look of annoyance crossed the older man’s face. “I must have misunderstood.”
Anger washed over Todd, but he pushed it down. What did Julie think she was doing? He thought he’d made it plain he wasn’t interested in her. Apparently, he hadn’t.
Harrington put down his cue. “My daughter is used to getting what she wants. My fault, I’m afraid. She’s an only child and I’ve spoiled her rotten. Sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll talk another time.”
“If you have new information you wish to share with me, I can take the time, sir.”
“No, no. You run along. Don’t keep your friends waiting. How about coming over tomorrow night aft
er work? I promise it will just be you and me and business.”
Todd nodded and smiled. “It’s a deal.”
Harrington held out his hand. “And call me Jacob. After all, I hope we’ll be partners soon.”
Todd preceded Jacob out of the room, nearly running into Julie in the enormous foyer.
“Oh, are you finished with your business so soon?” She placed a hand on his arm. “Well, good. We can spend some time together.”
“I have to leave, Julie.”
“But I’d hoped to introduce you to some of my friends.”
“Sorry. As I told you before, I already have plans for tonight. Perhaps another time.”
Todd saw the fury in her eyes as he said good night to her father and walked past her toward the door. He was glad he’d followed her in his own car instead of riding with her as she’d suggested.
He glanced at his watch. Maybe he shouldn’t go to Alan’s. It was after ten, and they all had to be at the diner early to prepare for the breakfast shift. He punched in Alan’s number and made his excuses, then headed home.
Carla nibbled on a slice of dry toast then took a sip of grapefruit juice. What she really wanted was a stack of pancakes dripping in butter and syrup with sausage on the side. Seemed like her days of indulgence were over.
The day before, Lee had complained about her weight during a lift. Although Vlad was still angry with Lee, he had nevertheless marched Carla to the scale and then told her she needed to lose ten pounds. One more thing she’d forgotten about training.
At least she’d gotten a good night’s sleep and felt well rested.
When she arrived at the arena, Vlad and Lee were already there. She hurried to her locker and grabbed her skates.
Lee took her hand and they stepped onto the ice. Halfway around the arena, Carla felt her skate wobble. The next thing she knew, she landed hard on the ice.
“Carla, are you all right?” Lee caught himself from a stumble and knelt beside her, his eyes concerned.
“I think so.” She jumped up. One of the first things she’d learned when she started to skate was that if you fell, you got right back up.
“Lee!” Vlad’s voice was sharp as he skated over to them.
“Why did you let her fall?”
“Man, she was on the ice before I knew what was happening.” He looked at Carla. “What happened?”
“Not sure. My skate feels strange.”
Vlad knelt beside her, and she bent her leg back so he could look at her skate. “This blade’s loose. Didn’t you check them before you put them on?”
Carla’s stomach tightened. “I checked them last night before I put them in my locker.”
“Never, ever go out on the ice without checking your blades.”
Carla felt her face grow warm. She should have remembered, but on the other hand … She glanced at Lee. “How could the blade get loose just sitting in my locker?”
“Someone tampered with it.” He pressed his lips together. “Someone trying to stop you before you even get started.”
Vlad shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lee. She simply forgot to check them and doesn’t want to admit it.” He gave Carla a tight smile. “It’s all right. It’s naturally going to take a little while to remember all the safety rules.”
“But …”
Before Carla could voice her protest, Vlad had skated away.
Lee took her arm and helped her off the ice. “Never mind him. He has his head in the sand. It’s easier to blame you than investigate the matter. Let’s leave your skates with Anton and grab something to drink.”
Anton had been taking care of skaters’ equipment for many years. They found the white-haired man in a large, equipment-filled room near the back door.
They left the skates so Anton could tighten the blades and went to the coffee shop. They carried their coffees to a booth and sat across from each other.
“Try not to worry about it.” Lee patted her hand. “I’m sure it’s just Cassie or one of the other girls up to their tricks.”
“A loose blade is a little more than a trick, Lee. I could have been injured.” Carla blew her hair out of her eyes and took a sip of her iced coffee. “Anyway, that sort of thing is what I’d expect from a pre-teen. Good grief. We’re adults now.”
“I know, sweetie. But you’re a threat to them. They can see how quickly you’re picking everything up again. And they remember how good you always were. I’m sure we’d have made it to the Olympics if we’d continued skating together.”
“Do you really think so?” Excitement ran through her.
“Were we really that good?”
“You bet we were.” He grinned. “Don’t you remember how Tom used to brag on us to everyone?”
“Well, yeah. But he was our coach. He had to brag.” She threw him a wink and grinned.
“But it was true. And baby, we can get there again.”
She straightened and frowned at him. “Please don’t call me that, Lee.”
Surprise crossed his face. “Okay, honey, I won’t. Didn’t know you minded.”
“I don’t, when it’s meaningful. But you and I are maybe skating partners and, I hope, friends.” She bit her lip.
“Oh. I see.” He tapped on his coffee mug. “I’d hoped we could be a little more than that. I care for you, Carla.”
She shook her head. “No you don’t. You don’t even know me. Maybe there’s some attraction. I felt it, too, at first, but that’s all it is.”
He nodded and lifted one eyebrow. “You sure?”
Carla couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up. “Yes, I’m sure. And stop flirting. It’ll do you no good.”
He sighed. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you. You’re not half bad yourself.”
“But your heart belongs to someone else?”
Carla’s breath caught. “No … well, maybe. There is someone. A friend.”
“But maybe this friend is more than a friend?”
She ducked her head and sipped through her straw.
“Hmm?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet.” The thought of Todd’s kiss flashed into her mind and she blushed.
Lee laughed. “All right, Carla. Skating partners and friends.”
“Maybe skating partners. I haven’t decided yet.”
“But you’re leaning toward yes. Right?” His eyes gleamed, and he took her hand. “I know we can go places.”
“You really believe that, don’t you?” Could he be right? A picture of Lee and her standing on the top podium wearing their gold medals rushed into her mind. They’d won a few firsts at minor competitions. Could they have really made it to Nationals and Worlds and maybe even the Olympics? And was there still a chance? They’d have to go through Regionals first. Could they even do well there?
“I really do.” Lee stood. “We’d better get back before Vlad comes looking for us.”
They retrieved Carla’s skates and returned to the ice. This time, Vlad told them to do a side-by-side single jump. Carla tightened up and stepped out of the jump, nearly falling. They skated around for a while then tried it again, both landing perfectly.
“Okay, I want you to do two more of those then no more jumps for today. Just skate. Get used to each other again. Tomorrow you can work on spins. You have a long way to go.”
When they finally left the arena, snow was gently falling.
“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Carla lifted her mittened hands and caught some flakes.
“And cold.” Lee shivered.
“I like the cold.”
Lee walked her to her car and stood beside the window while she started the engine. “How about if I pick you up for dinner later? I know this great sushi place.”
“Thanks, but I’m so tired, I don’t think I want to come back out. I’ll probably have something delivered.” And she wanted some time to herself to collect her thoughts.
When she got to he
r hotel, she tossed her bag on the bed and headed for the bathroom. The hot shower felt wonderful to her sore muscles. She dried off and slipped into warm flannel pajamas, sank into the deep recliner, and got the phone book out of the nightstand drawer. Yawning, she rifled through the pages, looking for restaurants that delivered something besides pizza or Chinese. It was already after five, so she’d have to wait and call Todd later. She yawned again.
She jerked up, blinking her eyes. The room had darkened. She must have drifted off. She glanced at the clock. After nine. Todd would be finished at the diner by now. She punched in his number. After six rings, she pressed END.
She picked up the phone book that had slid onto the floor from her lap while she slept. She found the restaurant section and pursed her lips. There probably weren’t too many choices for delivery this late. She called a local pizzeria and ordered a chef salad.
She tried Todd’s number again and bit her lip as she listened to it ring. She checked her messages in case she’d missed a text or call while she was sleeping. Nothing.
She stood and went to the coffeepot. She shouldn’t drink it this late. Hadn’t she seen a packet of decaf? She scrambled through the drawer and located it. When the coffee was brewing, she tried Todd’s number again.
A tap on the door announced the arrival of her food. She’d eat then try to call Todd again.
She choked down half her salad and tossed the rest into the trash. Sighing, she poured a cup of coffee and returned to her recliner.
She picked up her phone and punched in Todd’s number again. Nothing. She flopped back onto her pillow, frowning at her phone. She really wanted to hear his voice tonight.
Where are you, Todd?
Chapter 7
Todd punched in Carla’s number. It went immediately to voice mail. Which meant she’d turned her phone off. It had been late when his meeting with Jacob Harrington ended last night. By the time he’d seen the missed calls from Carla, he hadn’t wanted to chance waking her.
His thoughts whirled as he drove to work. The ideas and possibilities Jacob had tossed his way sounded really good. But Jacob knew enough about restaurants to realize any new venture was risky. In normal times, the new place wouldn’t support itself at first. Todd would need to have enough money, either his own or his backer’s, to cover expenses, including his own salary, for at least a year. And with the economy the way it was, the risk was increased. He was tempted, but didn’t intend to jump into it without a lot of thought and prayer.
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